Crisis talks on Dragons feeder team Tyson Otto

From: The Daily Telegraph December 27, 2010 12:00AM

THE Dragons will this week hold crisis talks with local Illawarra club Shellharbour in a desperate move to organise a NSW Cup team for 2011.
St George Illawarra are hoping to resume their association with the local Carlton League club, but their talks have stalled.

Shellharbour will play only in the local Illawarra Carlton League in 2011 unless the Dragons can dramatically upgrade the financial support they gave the club this year.

Dragons chief executive Peter Doust will meet with Shellharbour in the coming days to negotiate a deal after extensive talks before Christmas proved fruitless.

The breakdown of talks means Wayne Bennett's fringe players will have to drop down to play for various clubs in the Carlton League if they are not selected in the top 17.

Shellharbour, who will play as the Southern Marlins, were named last week in a new NSW Cup fixture for 2011, featuring the return of Manly in a 12-team competition.

However, Shellharbour coach Terry Gilogley said his club were favouring walking away from the NRL feeder competition a few weeks ago.

"It'd be very disappointing if there wasn't a team," he said. "I don't understand how a team, who could be world champions if they win the World Club Challenge, can not have a second team. It's in the realms of ridiculousness."

http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sport/nrl/crisis-talks-on-dragons-feeder-team/story-e6frexnr-1225976430135

It's a shit sport.

Raiders sign Orford

BY CHRIS DUTTON
10 Jan, 2011 08:01 AM

The Canberra Raiders will this morning announce that they have signed Matt Orford.
The news follows months of discussions and Orford finally negotiating a release from English club Bradford.

Orford will be in Canberra today with coach David Furner to announce the new deal.

The former premiership winning halfback with Manly is expected to start training with his new Raiders teammates tomorrow.

Knights talks on the cards for Tinkler

BY JAMES GARDINER
10 Jan, 2011 04:00 AM

NATHAN Tinkler is poised to resume talks with the Knights about buying the club and says his millions can take the club forward to more success.
‘‘We can either put our hands up and say we want to win another competition or go for the next 20 years talking about 2001 and 1997,’’ Tinkler told the Herald in his first interview since offering to buy the Knights for $10million in November.

He remains adamant a non-profit community model can work for the struggling club.

Tinkler’s proposal received strong support from sections of the community and he remains hopeful that a deal can be struck.

‘‘I have been away for the past few weeks but I plan to catch up with [Knights CEO] Steve Burraston and [chairman] Rob [Tew] in the next few weeks,’’ he said.

‘‘I think it is the model that works. It gives the club patrons a say over the important issues in the club.’’

Tew maintains he and the board are open to privatisation but only if it is in the best interests of the club.

‘‘Robbie and I will sit down and talk about that,’’ Tinkler said.

‘‘If you take a business on, you take it on. You forever have to meet those debts and obligations.

‘‘Any successful side costs money and takes input, and that is what we are willing to do.’’


For full Tinkler interview, see today's Herald.

http://www.theherald.com.au/news/local/sport/football-soccer/knights-talks-on-the-cards-for-tinkler/2042598.aspx

http://www.canberratimes.com.au/news/local/sport/rugby-league/raiders-sign-orford/2042814.aspx

:d :d

Raiders... smokey for 2011.

Brisbane poised for second NRL team as Broncos' stranglehold on rugby league market faces challenge

Peter Badel From: The Courier-Mail January 27, 2011


THE Broncos' 23-year stranglehold on the Brisbane rugby league market is under threat with a rival consortium formulating plans to become Queensland's fourth NRL team.
The Courier-Mail can reveal a three-man consortium, including Thoroughbreds chairman Craig Davison, has begun due diligence into the formation of a second Brisbane team that would compete with the Broncos for the city's sponsorship and supporter base.

"We're dubbing it the Battle for Brisbane," Davison said last night.

The consortium's push for NRL inclusion is the most significant challenge to the Broncos' flagship status since the birth of the South Queensland Crushers in 1995.

The Crushers suffered a quick death in 1997 amid the Super League bloodletting but NRL boss David Gallop said yesterday Brisbane's population could easily sustain a second team.

The Brisbane NRL bid team has been investigating options since Christmas.

It is separate to the NRL bids from Ipswich and Central Queensland, which has been the most vocal in the race to become Queensland's fourth team.

The Brisbane NRL consortium, which hopes to clinch a licence to play in the 2013 season, will formally announce its bid as early as tomorrow.

Davison confirmed his involvement in the new entity amid speculation the Thoroughbreds, the high-powered businessmen who provide mentoring to Broncos players, are reviewing their ties to the club.

"If and when the Independent Commission takes tenders for NRL expansion, we'll be in there fighting for that spot in Brisbane," he said.

"We're talking to a number of sponsors and they are excited about coming on board.

"We've spoken to David Gallop. He is very much aware of our plans.

"I was invited by the other guys around Christmas.

"There's been a couple of months of planning in private and I've had to decide if I want to be on board.

"I've told the Broncos I'll be doing it. I believe we've got a strong bid."

Brisbane's second team would play at Suncorp Stadium on alternate weekends to the Broncos, giving the city a weekly NRL event.

The consortium has designed an NRL bid logo and is negotiating to establish headquarters in Brisbane's south.

Gallop yesterday confirmed he had spoken to a Brisbane bid delegate.

He said he saw merit in the proposal.

"I've spoken to (the bid team) and agreed to meet with them in the next couple of weeks," Gallop said.

"There are a group of businessmen interested in an alternate bid to the Ipswich bid.

"We have said all along we would look seriously at expansion in 2011.

"With the strength of the game in Queensland it is pretty easy to see the merit of another team in Brisbane at some stage."

http://www.couriermail.com.au/sport/nrl/secret-plan-for-new-brisbane-nrl-club/story-e6frep5x-1225995096367

David Gallop defends NRL links to gambling as Melbourne Storm inks deal with Crown Casino

Brent Read From: The Australian February 05, 2011


THE NRL's relationship with the gambling industry was back in the crosshairs last night, prompting chief executive David Gallop to claim sport was an easy target and attacks on rugby league were neither fair nor realistic.

With the game in the grip of a high-profile betting scandal, the Melbourne Storm held a press conference yesterday morning to confirm it had struck a major sponsorship deal with the country's biggest casino, Crown.

That prompted anti-gambling campaigner Nick Xenophon to suggest the NRL risked normalising gambling in the minds of children by maintaining its relationships with betting agencies.

Gallop responded to those claims last night, saying: "Sport is something of an easy target. Given the sponsorships that exist in other sports, it is neither fair nor realistic to make this an attack on the NRL.

"The current police investigation is proof of our resolve to ensure there is no suggestion of illegal activity and to link that to a sponsorship such with Crown Casino is unfair."

Xenophon has been an outspoken critic of the NRL's links with the gambling industry.

In recent weeks, a spate of announcements have fuelled his criticism.

Only last week, South Sydney announced a major sponsorship deal with Star City Casino.

Another two clubs - Manly and Cronulla - have bookmaking agencies on their jerseys.

Several clubs also have corporate deals with betting agencies while Penrith recently reached an agreement with Centrebet, which will result in their home ground being renamed Centrebet Stadium.

The situation has been exacerbated by the ongoing investigation into last year's round-24 game between North Queensland and Canterbury in Townsville.

A police investigation into suspicious betting activity on the game is ongoing. However, Bulldogs prop Ryan Tandy, one of the central figures in the investigation, was arrested on Wednesday and charged with providing false evidence to a law enforcement agency.

"How can a sports code that is embroiled in a betting scandal allow itself to be associated with the gambling industry?" Xenophon said.

"NRL is meant to be a family pastime.

"Gambling is an adult pastime and the two shouldn't mix.

"This has the potential to normalise gambling in the minds of children."

Along with the country's other major sports, the NRL has been lobbying the federal government to introduce specific legislation to help them combat illegal gambling.

Former Australian cricket chief executive Mal Speed is in the process of preparing a series of recommendations designed to help the sports themselves regulate betting.

His report is expected to be handed down by the end of this month.

"Sports betting is not illegal - cheating should be, and we are encouraged that governments are talking of stronger legislation to help sports," Gallop said. "These companies already advertise widely across the media, in sporting broadcasts, other broadcasts and on the web.

"To suggest that the sports themselves should not accept advertising or sponsorship while everyone around the sport can is hardly practical or fair.

"Sports who have initiated integrity agreements with sports betting operators and those relationships have provided greater transparency."

Gallop wasn't the only NRL official to defend the Storm's deal with Crown.

Dennis Watt, rugby league general manager with News Limited - which owns the Storm - and Melbourne chief executive Ron Gauci stressed Crown wasn't just a casino and gambling was a part of the Australian way of life.

The deal fills a vacancy on the Storm jersey given sponsors deserted the club last year in the wake of the salary cap scandal.

"Melbourne Storm was very clear that we wanted more than just a major sponsorship," Gauci said.

"We wanted a relationship with an organisation that could provide a home for our supporters and a proposition that would deliver world-class entertainment experiences at one location."

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/sport/david-gallop-defends-nrl-links-to-gambling-as-melbourne-storm-inks-deal-with-crown-casino/story-e6frg7mf-1226000459725

NRL to use Bon Jovi song as official anthem

Brad Walter
February 9, 2011 - 4:50PM

A specially written sports anthem by Jon Bon Jovi is set to be the theme of rugby league for the next three years in the biggest coup since Tina Turner performed Simply The Best almost 20 years ago.

Bon Jovi, who recently performed in Australia during a massive world tour, agreed to licence the song This is Our House to the NRL.

The song was written with international sports marketing in mind and has already been used successfully in the US in association with NFL.

It will feature in the game's new television commercial to be launched on March 2 and will be integrated into a range of NRL activities.

“This new partnership with the National Rugby League to bring the song to Australian rugby league gives me great satisfaction," Bon Jovi said. "Having played countless stadium shows in your country, I know for a fact that your fans know a thing or two about marking your turf and staking your claim.

"Having led an American Arena League football team from inception to championship and as a lifelong sports fan, I know the intensity and dedication that goes into cheering on your team.

“We wrote This Is Our House to be a sports anthem and 'House' has found a home in the US on the playing fields of the New York Rangers, the New England Patriots, and the NFL."

NRL chief executive David Gallop said today's signing of the deal for exclusive Australian rights to This Is Our House follows months of careful planning to secure a theme that captures the energy, excitement and scale of the most thrilling competition in world sport.

"It is an exciting win for the game and a clear statement about the scale of year ahead,” Gallop said.

"This is a watershed year for rugby league in a number of ways and on the field the opportunities have never been more thrilling. We can genuinely talk of 16 teams going into the year believing they can win and the closeness of the competition breeds thrills at every turn."

NRL marketing manager Paul Kind said: "Rugby league advertising has featured some amazing names from Tina Turner to Tom Jones and the Hoodoo Gurus and it has always looked for anthems that capture the game's unrivalled passion and excitement. This Is Our House will do

just that. Its chorus 'This is our house, these are our people and this is our town' captures the feelings of every fan at a home venue.

"It does so in a way that is a celebration of how people feel about their team rather than with any sense of hostility. This song takes people on an emotional ride and that is what the Telstra Premiership is all about."

A free preview of the track is available through the following link:

http://itunes.apple.com/au/album/bon-jovi-greatest-hits-the/id398138370

http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/rugby-league/league-news/nrl-to-use-bon-jovi-song-as-official-anthem-20110209-1amt7.html

Brisbane trio selling shares in Broncos

James McCullough From: The Courier-Mail February 10, 2011

THE businessman behind the proposal to create a new rugby league team in Brisbane, Craig Davison, is one of three shareholders trying to sell a combined share parcel of 24.5 per cent of the Broncos.
Davison and two other local businessmen and Brisbane Broncos shareholders, Tony Scanlon and John Geaney, have each decided to pursue other interests and offload their shares.

The men each hold between 3 million and 11 million shares, giving them a combined parcel of 24 million, or 24.5 per cent, worth more than $8 million on yesterday's closing price of 34¢ a share.

The Broncos is a publicly listed company on the Australian stock exchange. News Ltd, owner of The Courier-Mail, the majority shareholder with 68 per cent of the sporting group.

The three investors have approached Brisbane-based professional services firm Scancorp to manage the sale.

Scancorp director Marcus Salouk said holdings of this size were rarely available. "We are immensely proud to assist our clients in marketing their shares in one of the country's most iconic sporting brands."

He said the three owners had decided to sell their shares for separate reasons. "The owners have made their decision to sell for their own individual reasons and have separately approached us to assist with the promotion of the opportunity," he said.

Mr Salouk said expressions of interest got under way this week and would run until Friday, March 4, with initial inquiries to date being "strong".

A News Ltd spokesman yesterday said the company was happy with its shareholding and had no plans to increase it.

Broncos chairman Darryl Somerville said the trio had expressed interest in selling their shares several months ago.

All three investors have been involved with the Broncos exclusive inner sanctum, the businesses mentoring group called the Thoroughbreds.

Mr Davison, who runs the Outdoor Furniture Specialists, was chairman of the Thoroughbreds until resigning recently, and Mr Geaney resigned from the supporters group about a year ago. Mr Scanlon remains a member.

http://www.couriermail.com.au/business/brisbane-trio-selling-shares-in-broncos/story-e6freqmx-1226003262205

Skinny on potential NRL expansion teams

Brent Read From: The Australian February 12, 2011

SO, the sport editor calls me this week and tells me he wants a column on expansion.
As I wipe the sleep from my eyes, my instant reaction is he's talking about my waistline. After all, it's been a long and lazy summer. Holidays over the Christmas period will do that to you.

No, you idiot (his use of the Queen's English has been cleaned up for our PG audience), he says, I'm talking about expansion in the NRL. I exhale and undo the top button on my pants. No problem I say. Shouldn't be too difficult given it's been the talk of rugby league.

Barely a day goes by without some sort of expansion story. Everyone, it seems, is queuing up to join the NRL. Bids are coming in from all corners of the country. They're sweeping in from interstate and overseas.

Perth and Papua New Guinea are in the thick of it. Southeast Queensland has two consortiums - one in Ipswich and another in Brisbane. The latter plans to formally launch itself this month. (Our tip is it may call itself the Broncos, after all they've they made no secret of their plans to steal everything else from the six-time premiership winners.)

Central Queensland has a mining magnate backing its plans. They've flown NRL executives around the country in his private jet. Mind you, catching a private jet to Rockhampton is like driving a Ferrari to Penrith - the trip is fun but there's not much to do once you arrive.

There's also a bid from Wellington, although details remain sketchy. So sketchy, no one even knows whether it actually exists - the bid, not the town of course. As for PNG, they've put their bid emblem on the Broncos' shorts. Not quite sure how that helps their cause. Not that the Broncos are complaining.

All this and the NRL still has no idea whether it plans to expand. The suggestion is a decision will be made mid-year. If it comes down in favour of expansion, another bunfight is bound to break out between the bidding parties.

That final decision will rest with the eight wise men who will form the inaugural independent commission. Mind you, the identity of those eight men is almost as big a mystery as the chances of expansion. If the commission is anything to go by, a decision on expansion may not come for another decade.

Quite frankly, it's hard to keep up. The whole thing has rugby league in a flap. If that isn't enough, the game is also being haunted by a betting scandal. Allegations are flying, houses are being raided and players are being arrested. Granted, that bit sounds like your standard off-season in the NRL. Only this time there seems a genuine chance someone is headed to the big house. My instant reaction is to combine the two. So I phone my good friends at a betting agency and ask them to frame a phantom market on expansion in 2013. No problem they say, that's what we do. Before you know it, they were back to me with the odds.

No surprises with the favourites being Central Coast. The Bears have spent an eternity working on their bid. They're more advanced than anyone else. They've even got a coach in David Fairleigh. But they won't be getting my hard-earned. Can't see the other clubs going for that given Newcastle is only an Andrew Johns punt kick up the highway.

Next up is no expansion at all, which makes more sense. Why expand when the vast majority of your clubs are running at a loss. NRL clubs lose millions every year. Can you imagine their reaction when expansion is brought up. Sure, give the new clubs the money. We don't need it. We love losing money hand over fist.

Of the Queensland sides, the bookies are banking on Brisbane being the chosen one.

The rank outsider is PNG - the only country in the world where rugby league is a national sport - and Wellington, a city where rugby union is king.

Debate is bound to rage for months. The NRL won't be doing anything to hose down the promise of expansion. While consortiums are bidding to enter the competition, it makes rugby league appear in the rudest of health, which brings me back to where I started. I'm off to the gym. The game may be in rude health but yours truly isn't. I need to look after my own expansion.

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/sport/skinny-on-potential-nrl-expansion-teams/story-e6frg7t6-1226004683279

Time is running out for Nathan Tinkler

Barry Toohey From: The Daily Telegraph February 15, 2011

MINING magnate Nathan Tinkler wants the Newcastle Knights to run out for their opening NRL premiership clash against Penrith on March 13 under his ownership.

But legal red tape and a complex negotiation process has meant he is running out of time to make it happen before the season kicks off.

Tinkler's $100 million 10-year offer to buy the Knights has been on the table for almost a month and has been accepted in principle by the Knights board.

But it has to win approval from a 75 percent majority of Knights members at a special general meeting for the deal to be given the green light.

The general consensus in Newcastle is the vote will be a formality, with the Knights under massive financial pressure under their current structure. But if Tinkler is to be in charge before the opening round kick-off, the meeting to decide the deal's fate will have to be called by no later than this Friday.

By law, club members must be given 21 days' notice before a special general meeting can be called.

"We'd like to be given the opportunity to take our offer to the members before the season kicks off," Tinkler Sports Group executive chairman Ken Edwards confirmed.

"From the perspective of the players, it would be a huge boost to them leading into their first game to have the club's future settled and secure. But obviously that window of opportunity is closing fast.

"There is a process to go through and it is taking time. Hopefully, everything can be resolved by later this week and by Friday there can be an announcement made on when the meeting will be."

Newcastle Knights chairman Rob Tew is making no apologies for the protracted negotiations: "Given the importance of what we are talking about, we have to make sure that every little detail is attended to so that when it's appropriate, we will have all the information we need to take to our members," he said.

Asked about Friday's deadline if a decision is to be made on the future of the club before the opening round, Tew said: "I'm non-committal on that. The most important thing is that everything is right and the process is correct."

Knights officials and Tinkler's representatives met last Friday, with negotiations continuing this week.

http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sport/nrl/time-is-running-out-for-nathan-tinkler/story-e6frexnr-1226005975301

Nathan Tinkler's ultimatum to the Newcastle Knights

Brent Read From: The Australian February 19, 2011

MINING magnate Nathan Tinkler is expected to personally deliver the Newcastle Knights an ultimatum on Monday - accept my offer or I walk away.

Knights officials yesterday confirmed a meeting had been organised with the multi-millionaire for next week and The Weekend Australian understands Tinkler is growing increasingly frustrated with the slow progress of his takeover bid.

Tinkler had hoped to have control of the Knights before the premiership began, but that is now impossible because club members require 21 days' notice before they can vote on his bid. At best, the vote could take place after the completion of the first round.

Knights officials were sent further details of Tinkler's offer - he has agreed to guarantee the club's sponsorship to the tune of $100 million over the next 10 years - on Wednesday and their legal team will spend the weekend sifting through the details before Monday's meeting.

"We received the latest draft contracts on Wednesday evening," Newcastle chief executive Steve Burraston said.

"Our lawyers have been working through them. We will work all weekend to have something back to them before that meeting on Monday.

"The important thing is we give the members the final documentation with all the details so they can make an informed decision before the vote.

"It's vital we flush out the details for them because this is the most important decision in the club's history. Privatisation is not a small matter. It's a complex issue."

Asked whether he expected an ultimatum at that meeting, Burraston said: "I am not aware of any ultimatum or anything that is going to happen in that meeting."

Tinkler's sense of urgency over his takeover is intriguing given he is believed to be circling St George Illawarra coach Wayne Bennett.

Bennett is expected to inform the Dragons of his plans before the season starts and Tinkler will not be in a position to formalise any move for the seven-time premiership-winning coach while his takeover of the Knights is in limbo.

Mind you, that didn't stop Tinkler chasing Cronulla prop Kade Snowden. Snowden has been given time off by the Sharks to consider his future after a late bid by a mystery caller, believed to be Tinkler, threw the NSW prop into a spin.

Snowden, having agreed to terms with the Sharks, was ready to appear at a press conference on Thursday only to back out at the last minute when he received a phone call asking him to reconsider. Sharks coach Shane Flanagan spoke to the Newcastle junior yesterday and officials remain confident he will honour his deal. If he doesn't, Cronulla is likely to take the matter to the NRL. "We told Kade to have today and the weekend off to come to terms with the events of yesterday," Cronulla football manager Darren Mooney said.

"We're giving him that time to get his head together."

While Snowden has been criticised for his last-minute decision to reconsider the Sharks offer, he received some support yesterday from Cronulla legend Gavin Miller.

Miller said he could fully understand Snowden's reticence to appear at a press conference after the events of Thursday.

"Obviously I sympathise with him if he's got that late offer - it puts a young person at his age under an enormous amount of pressure," Miller said.

"The offer has come from his home town. Just back off and let it take its course.

"Loyalty is a double-edged sword. Unfortunately, there's not a lot of it shown any more."

"There is not a great lot of loyalty shown by the clubs and there is not a great deal of loyalty shown by the players."

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/sport/nathan-tinklers-ultimatum-to-the-newcastle-knights/story-e6frg7mf-1226008414345

Four agents named in report on Storm rort

Chris Barrett
February 19, 2011

FOUR of rugby league's biggest player agents, who together represent a huge proportion of NRL and representative stars, could be expelled from the game after being named in an NRL report relating to serious allegations regarding the Melbourne Storm salary cap breach.

The agents are understood to be: David Riolo, a director at Titan Management, Isaac Moses, a Titan agent, George Mimis, managing director of SFX Sports Australia, and Allan Gainey, who manages Test centre Greg Inglis. Their names are understood to feature in the report, tabled at the Rugby League Accredited Player Agent Scheme committee meeting on Thursday night. The committee chairman, Geoff Bellew, SC, said in a statement yesterday that legal counsel had been engaged to advise whether ''evidence is sufficient to warrant disciplinary action being taken against any one or more player agents''. Bellew indicated that hearings could then take place.

If it could be proved that an agent knew of or participated in the salary cap rort, that agent could be stripped of accreditation to manage players. "I have not seen the brief of evidence at this stage, nor has any member of the committee, however, we have been informed in broad terms of the allegations against a number of player agents which, in my view, are serious," Bellew said.

"In the event that the view is taken that there is sufficient evidence, and if proceedings are brought, I envisage that counsel will then assist the committee in any hearing that takes place," Bellew said.

The NRL last April removed two premierships and more than $1.1 million in prizemoney from the Storm after the club was found to have cheated the salary cap by $1.7 million over five years.

A later report by the accounting company Deloitte, released in summary in July by Melbourne's owner, News Ltd, said the total value of the breaches was in fact $3.17 million.

That report identified Gainey and Moses, who represents Storm captain Cameron Smith, as having signed two contracts for their respective clients. It also named Mimis, who represents Melbourne fullback Billy Slater, but noted that he did not sign a ''side'' letter. All have maintained their innocence.

Riolo has now been linked with the scandal for the first time. He represented then Storm players Ryan Hoffman and Matt Geyer during the five-year period under investigation but details of his alleged complicity were unclear last night.

Banning agents from acting for NRL players could throw the game into chaos behind the scenes.

With Sam Ayoub, whose future is understood to be clouded after he bet on a game now at the centre of a police and NSW Crime Commission investigation, the four represent almost half of all NRL players.

Among Riolo's and Moses's large NRL stable at Titan are dozens of league players including Smith, Todd Carney, Josh and Brett Morris, Paul Gallen, Willie Tonga, Michael Jennings and Feleti Mateo.

Mimis's SFX Sports manages, among others, Slater, Australian captain Darren Lockyer, Justin Hodges, Mark Gasnier, Anthony Watmough, Darius Boyd and Ben Creagh. He is also handling contract negotiations for Dragons coach Wayne Bennett.

Mimis and Riolo declined to comment last night. Gainey and Moses did not return calls.
http://www.smh.com.au/rugby-league/league-news/four-agents-named-in-report-on-storm-rort-20110218-1azip.html]

Shattered Sharks officially a club in crisis

Adrian Proszenko and Daniel Lane
February 20, 2011
.
''I chuckled to myself when I heard people talking about loyalty during the week when people at the club fail to honour it themselves'' ... Stuart.

FORMER Cronulla coach Ricky Stuart has launched a scathing attack on the Sharks' handling of the Kade Snowden affair, while the club's dream of a $300 million development to ensure its long-term survival is again in jeopardy.

''If you've got monkeys running the zoo, it's always going to be a mess,'' Stuart declared yesterday, in a thinly veiled swipe at club chairman Damian Irvine.

The comments come as Snowden's father, Chris, defended his son, ridiculing suggestions the NSW forward is disloyal or mercenary. In further bad news for the Sharks, George Capsis - a Sutherland Shire councillor who was once chaplain of the Cronulla team - warned that the multimillion-dollar development that needs to be approved at tomorrow night's extraordinary meeting to provide the debt-ridden club with a revenue stream would be built upon a flood plain. Stuart's blast came after Snowden inadvertently became involved in the game's biggest contract wrangle when Cronulla trumpeted his re-signing on Thursday.

Advertisement: Story continues below But a late and lucrative offer to join Newcastle - allegedly from prospective Knights owner Nathan Tinkler - forced Snowden to cancel a planned media conference and reconsider his future. Snowden maintains he hadn't shaken hands or signed the deal. Stuart unloaded on the club.

''I chuckled to myself when I heard people talking about loyalty during the week when people at the club fail to honour it themselves,'' Stuart said.

Snowden began his NRL career in his home town of Newcastle but managed just 14 games between 2005 and 2007. Unwanted by other clubs, Stuart took him to the Shire and transformed him from a borderline first-grader into a State of Origin prop. Stuart described Snowden as one of the club's most popular players and sympathised with his plight.

''I know Kade Snowden better than anyone at that club and I will stand by the kid,'' Stuart said. Chris Snowden, a footballer of some repute before a neck injury forced a premature retirement, rubbished suggestions his son was disloyal.

''Way off the mark. It [upsets] me a little bit that people might have thought that,'' he said.

''He has never been in this position … that's very harsh.

''You've got your fans that are loyal to their own club, and when things don't go their own way, they get a little bit upset. He's been real worried about how people think about him - that's knocked him about more than anything.

''We really feel for him. He's worked hard to get to where he is and a lot of that has had to do with Ricky as well. He's a bit down with the way things are.''

Knights chief executive Steve Burraston issued a statement yesterday claiming the club had no knowledge of the identity of the third party behind the deal. ''If the allegations are correct, that third party operated independent to and without the knowledge or approval of the Newcastle Knights board and management,'' Burraston said.

Kade Snowden has travelled to the family home at Belmont, near Newcastle, to escape media scrutiny.

The issue could come to a head tomorrow when Tinkler meets Knights officials to discuss his privatisation proposal.

It is understood he could also meet Snowden tomorrow.

Irvine said Snowden had been given the weekend off to clear his head. ''We support Kade 100 per cent in this; we don't feel he is at fault at all,'' he said.

On the development front, Capsis - who stressed he was speaking as a resident and not on behalf of the council - recalled how almost nine years ago the stadium precinct was flooded. The dressing rooms were swamped and a motorised shark fin Capsis drove on match days was destroyed.

Tomorrow night Cronulla Leagues Club members will vote on whether the Sharks should sign a development deal with a consortium to develop their land holdings - 10 hectares of junior playing fields, the home ground and two car parks - into retail outlets and a residential estate.

If approved, the Sharks would receive an advance of $2 million.

The club, which is $11 million in debt and is said to be unable to borrow any more from its bank, has warned members that voting against the proposal would jeopardise the club's future.

However, Capsis insisted there were major environmental problems that should be discussed.

''Yes, there are problems - there's flood issues for a start,'' he told The Sun-Herald.

''The risk of a flood at Shark Park isn't some kind of big secret - it flooded a few years ago.

''It is one of a few issues that need to be seriously looked at.

''It's a flood plain and these areas flood. It happened [at Toyota Stadium] a few years ago and all I can say is people have a short memory.

''These so-called one in a hundred year floods seem to be happening a lot more regularly.''

http://www.smh.com.au/rugby-league/league-news/shattered-sharks-officially-a-club-in-crisis-20110219-1b07i.html

Mind you, catching a private jet to Rockhampton is like driving a Ferrari to Penrith - the trip is fun but there's not much to do once you arrive.

Since when did Inglis play for the Warriors :p

Why Nathan Tinkler is the most feared man in rugby league

By David Riccio Sports Editor From: The Sunday Telegraph February 20, 2011

NATHAN Tinkler is the most feared man in rugby league.
Forget Russell Crowe, David Gallop and even supercoach Wayne Bennett, the new force in the NRL is Tinkler. He can change the rules of engagement with one phone call.

He has become the code's modern-day Kerry Packer - and money talks.

Kade Snowden has had a first-hand taste of Tinkler's persuasive powers.

His Sharks team-mates will tell you his phone call from Tinkler came around midnight last Wednesday.

There wasn't so much an offer from one of the richest men in Australia, but a request.

"Just hold off signing until we speak," Tinkler is believed to have told Snowden.

Money wasn't even spoken about. Yet here we are a few days later with Snowden holed up with his parents in Newcastle pondering his next step.

That's power. And because of it, Tinkler has every NRL chief executive looking over their shoulder. And the burning question is: who is next on the mining magnate's shopping list?

Is it Jamal Idris, Michael Ennis, Darius Boyd?


How do you stop a bloke used to getting his own way? How do you stop a multimillionaire who plays by his own rules?

At 34, Tinkler is the richest man in Australia under 40 with $610 million.

He owns the Newcastle Jets A-League team, the Patinack racing empire, a share in Dick Johnson racing, beachside mansions and a garage full of cars.

Within a month, he could own the Newcastle Knights.

And he plays hard ball. Tinkler has threatened to pull his $100 million offer to buy the Knights because of delays in the process. These bully tactics are nothing new. His aggression at the negotiating table has proven a popular talking point in recent days.

"He's young, loaded and knows exactly what he wants - it can lead to a certain amount of ignorance," one leading player manager said.

It's been said that Tinkler was overseas when he first learned that Snowden, a Knights junior, had accepted a deal to stay at the Sharks.

The White Whale erupted. "If we can't get a former Newcastle junior back to Newcastle, then what hope have we got?" he supposedly roared.

Gallop wasn't willing to comment on Tinkler, but he rejected suggestions the NRL was powerless to stop people like Tinkler from tearing apart the game's pillars such as the salary cap.

"At the end of the day there's still a salary cap for clubs to work under," Gallop said. But One leading club CEO isn't so sure.

"I think the NRL really needs to make a clear decision on where the game is going with private investors like Tinkler," he told The Sunday Telegraph last week on the condition of anonymity.

Yesterday, the Knights released a statement from chief executive Steve Burraston reiterating their position on the Snowden saga.

They withdrew their offer to Snowden on February 9 and any offer after that date was made by a third party unknown to the club.

Burraston also said the pursuit of Snowden would "cause significant cap issues for the club". Time will tell if that means anything to Tinkler.

http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sport/nrl/why-nthan-tinkler-is-the-most-feared-man-in-rugby-league/story-e6frexnr-1226008678204

Just in case anyone forgot, the NRL's best player is fit and ready :p